Want the players to enjoy the final, says Kuwait head coach Rui Bento

Rui Bento also asserted how important it was for the team to win the final.

The stage is all set for a breath-taking final between India and Kuwait, as the two teams battle it out on Tuesday for the SAFF Championship 2023 trophy. 

Kuwait have had an incredible run in the tournament so far, but face a major roadblock in their road to glory, in the likes of India. The Blue Wave, who have already met with India once in the competition, were given a run for their money when the two teams faced off a few days back.

But with renewed form, and with the title at the line, fans can all be sure of a feisty affair to unroll, when these two teams face off at the Kanteerava.

Ahead of Tuesday’s fixture, Kuwait National Team head coach Rui Bento and Keeper Bader Bin Saanoun spoke to the media. Here are some of the excerpts from the conversation.

Thoughts ahead of the fixture

Kuwait had a pretty difficult game against India, and had to fight to the very end to get a point out it. When asked about his team’s approach against the Blues this time around, Rui Bento said, “We played against India, it was a competitive game and I hope the same competitive game. It's the final and the teams will try their best. I hope for a good game tomorrow.”

“It's better when we have the experience of playing against one team, but for us, from my experience, one final, it's a different game,” he added when asked if his team will have an added advantage as they have already played against the Blues.

Message to the players ahead of the final

Rui Bento also revealed that he wants his players to enjoy their game against India on Tuesday, and not get conscious about the outcome.

“I think it's very important tomorrow the players enjoy the game. I talk about this all the time. Sometimes I win and my team win and I don't like the game and I speak about this with the players. Sometimes we draw and I think the performance is good and sometimes we lose and we make good games (play well).

"Tomorrow our message is easy. The players need to enjoy the game. We have played seven games in 21 days. It's a lot of games in the end of the season, but now it's one final. We need to give our maximum,” exclaimed the tactician.

Importance of this final

The Kuwait National team have not been able to win any international trophy for quite some time now. The last time they won a championship was in 2011, when the Blue Waves won the Focus International Cup. When asked about how important it is for Kuwait to triumph the title on Tuesday, goalkeeper Bader gave a very optimistic reply.

“It's been a while since we won an international trophy, so fans must be excited about the process. I think maybe it has been seven or eight years since we last played a final. It's a good experience to be here, we will fight for ourselves, we will fight for our country and Inshallah we'll try to do our best and make the people in our country proud,” asserted Bader.

Mood in the dressing room

Kuwait have played seven games in the last 21 days, and have faced a number of challenges due to the demanding weather conditions in India. When asked about how this affected the players, and what is the current mood in the dressing room, Bader said:

“It's very difficult to play seven games in 21 day and especially in the end of the season. So, from the beginning it has been very difficult. But we don't want to talk about this. We are in the final right now and we have to focus on it. I think both the teams have a lot of experience on this and we will do our best tomorrow.”